Clutch.



N0.s42,841.` PATENTBD JAN.29,190%

` P.STARR.`

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1906.

@@Ww l @d/W A TTORL E YS FRED STARR, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters vPatent.

Patented Jan. 29, '1907.

Application filed August 15,1906. Serial No. 330.742.

To all rr/mm/ it mln/y concern:

Be it known that I, FRED STARR, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvcmcntsin Clutches, of whichthe followingis a specification.

My invention relates to clutch mechanisms of that class which isdesigned to t-ransform an intermittent 'or oscillating motion into arotary motion in one direction.

The general features of the invention comprises an exterior casing orhollow drirml mounted loosely upon the shaft to which the rotary motionis to be imparted, whiclrdrum derives an oscillatory motion from anysuitable source. Within the casing and keyed upon the rotary shaft is aclutch member or core having in its peri hery a series of pookets whichare incline to any radius of the. casing, so as to be wider at thebottom than at the top. Between the casing and the said clutch memberare round bodies, such as balls or rollers, the diameter of each ofwhich is slightly less than the space between the casing and clutch,where such space is wider, but greater than said space at the outer ortop end. Oscillation of the casing in one direction will cause therollers to be gripped between the casing and clutch, locking the casingto the driven shaft and transmitting al rotary motion t0 said shaft.Oscillation of the casing in the. opposite direction will 'cause therollers to return and seat themselves in the bottom ofthe pockets, sothat no grip ing action can occur.

On t 1e outer or casing surface the wear is evenly distributed and isslow. On the plain surface it falls on a precise line, Iriarking thepoint of grip where the distance between the two surfaces equals thediameter of the roller. and increases rapidly and always on the sameplace on the surface, since the roller cann'ot pass thc depression ofwear, even when it becomes so deep (as it soon does) as to impair thegripping action. Even slight wear weakens the grip and renders itnecessary to frequently replace in the heavy work to which 'I put theclutch, the whole core. These are expensive, since they are made of thebest hardened steel. The region of wear is across the plain surface andpresents a transverse v rounded valley correspondingwin shape andlocation to the roller. y This worn place cannot be reinforced after itis worn, since the at all.

Here immediat-ely the wear'begins other parts of the plain surface arenot worn It is necessary to get rid of the rut in the plain surface.

It is necessary at thc outset to accurately make and adjust the parts sothat the gripping-surfaces should be flaring from the gripping-point ofthe -roller toward the axis, and

also to space with precise accuracy the gripping point. To meet theseconditions, I

ave made the core of the ordinary shape in the main, but have recessedor cut away the plain bearing-surface ofthe core to a depth just equalto the thickness of the bearingplate. This fix detachably in the recessby any suitable means, rpreferably by a screw passing through the plateand into the core. This plate must vbe of the most durable hardenedmaterial whatever .the metal of which the body of the core is made. Whenworn it may be turned upside down or end for end or re )laced byanother, and thus may do doubfe service. Further, in case of the longusage. the peripheral bearing becomes worn and a thicker late may beused, proportioned accuratel;7 in thickness to the extent of wear oftheouter bearing.

By this device, cheaply made and quickly applied, I have rendered theclutch practical in heavy work.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a cross-section of the Casing and shaft on the line AA of Fig. 2 and an end elevation of the inner clutch member. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of the clutch on the line B B of Fig. l.

The numeral 1 represents the outer casing, which is a hollow cylindermade of any suitable material, such as east-iron, and having one endclosed by the' integrally-formed head 2, provided with the hub andbearing 3. The other end of the casing is-closed by a removble head 4,having a similar hub andy bearing 5. Both vends of the casing have out-IOO wardly-projecting flanges A6 7, to the latter of which the removablehead is se( urely bolted. The whole casing has a loose bearing upon theshaft` 8, which is the shaft to which rotary motion is to be im arted.-

Keyed upon the sha t within the easing is the inner clutch member 9,which is polygonal in end elevation, as shown in Fig. 1. It is thererepresented as of pentagonal form and has straight sides which, ifcompleted, would be chords ofarcs of the circular outer casing. Eachside, however,`merges into a IIO curve at 11, wlrielr is extended intoelose proximity with tirev outer easing. ln this manner a series olpockets is tor-ined, which are bounded at their ends by the treads ol'the f easing and ai their sides by the inner surfai e ot said rising andthel la( es ot the iimer iluteh iiieirrber. l prefer to provide theeasiirg uith a hardened-steel wearing-ring, as i shown at 12.

Within the pot kets are aseries ot rollers 13, whit lr are ot' sut hdiameter as to tit loosely at j the curved bottoms ot said pot kets,which is t the position they vwill assume rvlren the t asinr` ol' ltig.1 is turned to the left. .ll' said easing be turned to the right, therollers rvill be. instantly gripped between the tasing and the lstraight fares of the tliitt'h nieniber t), lock ing the tyvo togetherand to the shalt.

At the beginning of the curve in each straight t'aee ol' the part t)sueh fa e is undereut at an zu ute angle, as shown at ist, and is tmachined to the depth ot sutlr undercut in l r i order to provide aplane ilat seat. tpon each of these seats is seriired a hardenedsteelwear-plate 15, the inner edge ot' yvhieh is beveled, so as to tit theundei'eut. 'lhe other end is set ured by streyvs, as shoyvn at lt. 'lheouter fat e of eaeh wear plate marlies a smooth joint uith the tiirve atthe i bottoni ol' the por het, the said plate being of! a thieltnessequal to the depth of the recess ing of the (hitch-face. At the ripperor i smaller eird of the pot-het both the tlutth inenrberand thewear-plate are beveled oil' to the interseetion with the bottom of thenext por het. By making the inner member l of the elriteh rviilrstraight fat es the elutehing or gripping eilet tiveness is `inst asgreat as t when tui-ved t'at es are used, while it is easier, t simpler,and theaper to l'oi nr a ilat seat than i a curved one and easier andeheaper to pro- I vide llat wear-plates than t ui'ved ones and to litthem at turately to stu h seats. lt is evident that the iiiaiii body ofthe inner elritrh is prartieally indestrut'tible, sinie it is notexposed' to wear7 and that the (oini paratively eheap n'ear -plates eanbe rei nerved as ot'ten as may be neeessary at small i cost and withoutremoving the part- 9 from t the shaft, it beiirg only reqirired that theeasing be iemoved. whit h gives t oiirplete at t ess to the n'holeinterior;

lt is further to be noted that itl from airy arise one plate should nearlaster and require renewal sooirei' than others said plate (an be singlyreirroved ithout atl'er ting the remainder, whereas nere one t'aie ol'the y iiraiir t hit( h member itsell in sii( h a ondition i the nholestrurtrire \\'ould have to he i'eirroved and another substituted.

The (luteh shown is single-aetrng and is i operated b v means ol' aeable t oiled upon the easing between its llanges and eoniiet ted toairy sour e of porver and nrotion whit h \\ill l transmit an ostillatoiy iirotiorr to said easing.

'ith the single-zitting rlutih shown the i shaft, while it turns only inone diret tion, is positively driven only by alternate motions of theeasing, its own or its ily-wheel nionrentunr tontinuing the rotarynrotioii diri'- iirg the idle nrotioii ot the easing. My impioveirrentsare, however, equally adapted to doulirle-aeting elritthes, iirrvhiehthe arrangement ot (asing and interior eluteh inenrbeis are duplit atedupon the same shat't n ith a separate t able for eat-h easing. 'l`lien ithe shaft ean be positively driven in the same diieetion by both easingsostillating alternately in opposite diret tions.

'hat l t-laiin isz-- ln a elirtth, a driven shaft, an outer easingloosely mounted thereon, an inner rhiteh member keyed to the shaft aridhaving periplreral potkets ot a depth at the grippingl point equal tothe diameter ott the roller, plus the thickness ot' the plate,near-plates in said poekets and set-tired removably to said innertlutt-h member7 and rollers loose in said potliets but adapted to begripped between said near-plat es and the inner surt'aee of said easing.

